Baked eggs with herbs: food styling by Sasha Seymour; prop styling by Stephanie SaundersAshley Capp/The Globe and Mail
These rich, cheesy eggs get a lift from bright green herbs, cayenne and crème fraîche.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
8 large organic eggs
1/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 thin slices of prosciutto
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup chives
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup crème fraîche
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Lightly butter 4 shallow ramekins. Crack 2 eggs into each dish and sprinkle 1 tablespoon grated Gruyère cheese over the egg whites in each dish, avoiding the yolk. Place the ramekins directly on the middle oven rack and bake until whites are set and yolks are still runny (about 15 minutes). Gently jiggle the ramekin to test doneness; the centre of the eggs should barely move.
While eggs are baking, melt butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Add cayenne, swirl to combine and set aside.
Place a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate and place prosciutto slices on it. Cover with a second paper towel and cook in microwave at high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, checking after each minute until the prosciutto is crisp. Break into bite-sized pieces.
Combine parsley, basil and chives in a small bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt to taste and toss gently.
To assemble, drizzle each ramekin with a quarter of the crème fraîche and the chili butter, then top with one quarter of the herb salad, roughly torn prosciutto and salt and pepper. Serve with buttered toast.
Caution should be used when serving soft-cooked eggs to the very young or old, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems. In such cases, hard-yolked dishes are preferable.